Apple Aluminium Keyboard review (scissor switches)

[chyros]

There have been quite a few requests to review one of these. Considering they turned up every week in every recycling centre I ever visited, it wasn't hard to get one of these. Hope you enjoy the video!

[SBJ]

Another fine review!
Still not a fan of the apple keyboards.

[kurplop]

Chyros, you do a great service for the keyboard community by making these fine reviews. Always high quality and while you show your own preferences, your analysis is the gold standard of fairness.

I'm not too picky about switches and was fine with the Apple scissor switch action. My beef has always been with the flat keycaps being hard to locate, but that could be due to my lack of fingertip sensitivity.

Thanks for the review.

[rowdy]

I've used three of these - two at home and one at work.  One home one broke, hence the second one.

The work one was a miserable sod and kept zapping me each time I touched it, so I ended up slapping it each time before I started typing.

True story.

[daerid]

Idunno, I love these things.

Although after getting the new MBP and a Magic Keyboard, the old scissors feel super mushy and gross. I'd take a full-size butterfly keyboard in a heartbeat.

[iLLucionist]

True story. Back in the day when they came out, bought one. Loved it.

Then I was gaming, losing. I literally smashed my fist in the middle. You know... raging and all like a little wuss.

And then it was literally bent.

But the best part was... I COULD JUST BEND IT BACK!

The first gen typed ok I think... At least it was better than the more expensive rubberdomes back then.

[Leslieann]

I've looked at getting one of these a few times and I kept putting it off (I like scissor switches).

The last time I went looking was after visiting a customer who had one on his desk and it was because of the state of his that I took more notice of something on Ebay... While there are a TON of these on Ebay, and a huge percentage of them are non-functional or bent. Major red flag and I haven't looked at them since.

[rowdy]

I've looked at getting one of these a few times and I kept putting it off (I like scissor switches).

The last time I went looking was after visiting a customer who had one on his desk and it was because of the state of his that I took more notice of something on Ebay... While there are a TON of these on Ebay, and a huge percentage of them are non-functional or bent. Major red flag and I haven't looked at them since.

None of mine are bent, I guess it depends how well you treat them.

The broken one is only broken because someone spilled quite a lot of chocolate milk onto it.

[Leslieann]

None of mine are bent, I guess it depends how well you treat them.

The broken one is only broken because someone spilled quite a lot of chocolate milk onto it.

Scissor switches though, are just easily prone to damage, I once dropped an HDD onto a scissor switch board while getting it off a shelf over my desk, it went... badly.

[rowdy]

None of mine are bent, I guess it depends how well you treat them.

The broken one is only broken because someone spilled quite a lot of chocolate milk onto it.

Scissor switches though, are just easily prone to damage, I once dropped an HDD onto a scissor switch board while getting it off a shelf over my desk, it went... badly.

Sounds nasty

I haven't dropped anything onto one yet, in fact I haven't dropped anything remotely heavy onto any keyboard.

But I have pounded an Apple keyboard with my, er, tettsui ken a few times with no obvious side-effects.

[chyros]

None of mine are bent, I guess it depends how well you treat them.

The broken one is only broken because someone spilled quite a lot of chocolate milk onto it.

Scissor switches though, are just easily prone to damage, I once dropped an HDD onto a scissor switch board while getting it off a shelf over my desk, it went... badly.

Sounds nasty

I haven't dropped anything onto one yet, in fact I haven't dropped anything remotely heavy onto any keyboard.

But I have pounded an Apple keyboard with my, er, tettsui ken a few times with no obvious side-effects.

Scissor switches are quite fragile. Like I mentioned, I found almost none of these intact at the recycling centre, despite the huge volumes of them I encountered there.

[rowdy]

None of mine are bent, I guess it depends how well you treat them.

The broken one is only broken because someone spilled quite a lot of chocolate milk onto it.

Scissor switches though, are just easily prone to damage, I once dropped an HDD onto a scissor switch board while getting it off a shelf over my desk, it went... badly.

Sounds nasty

I haven't dropped anything onto one yet, in fact I haven't dropped anything remotely heavy onto any keyboard.

But I have pounded an Apple keyboard with my, er, tettsui ken a few times with no obvious side-effects.

Scissor switches are quite fragile. Like I mentioned, I found almost none of these intact at the recycling centre, despite the huge volumes of them I encountered there.

At a recycling centre there's probably a chance that the keyboards were just chucked in a box, whereas I've generally looked after mine (apart from hitting it a few times with a clenched fist).